Maladaptive drinking patterns and alcohol-related and intentional injuries: A cross-national comparison between China and South Korea

In view of lack of research findings addressing the disparities observed on rates of alcohol-related and intentional injuries, and the alcohol-injury associations between China and S. Korea, we conducted a cross-national comparison in hazardous alcohol use patterns and their relations to injuries. 

Our results indicated that the S. Korean ED (emergency department) patients had significantly greater rates of HED (heavy episodic drinking, i.e., 5+ drinks at least monthly) and drinking problems symptomatic of dependence (i.e., RAPS4) than those of the Chinese counterparts (60.4% vs. 32.2% and 22.8% vs. 15.22%, respectively). Further, multivariate logistic regression revealed that the S. Korean ED patients were about 2 times more likely to sustain an alcohol-related injury than among the Chinese patients. In contrast, the Korean study subjects were approximately 30% less likely to incur an intentional injury compared to their Chinese counterparts.

As both China and S. Korea are undergoing an unprecedented economic growth and social changes there is a dramatic increase in the prevalence of alcohol consumption, alcohol use disorders, and associated consequences including injuries. This study, therefore, provided a glimpse and insights into the complex interplay of social norms, alcohol control measures and policies, alcohol use and related injuries.